User blog:Pinkguy the b0ss/The Sega Dreamcast turns 20
What's up my Shreks, it's DiamondMinerStudios here for a quick post. As many of you know, today is September 9, 2019. If you know about the history of gaming, then you would know on this very day, exactly 20 years ago, the Sega Dreamcast was released here in the US. It was sort of Sega's "Final Fantasy"... only in the form of a console. After years of upsetting their fans following the failures of the Sega CD, 32X, and the disastrous launch of the Saturn, though, their reputation was beyond repair, and the Dreamcast sadly died a mere two years later and Sega completely pulled out of hardware production to become a third-party developer. The impending launch of the Playstation 2 also didn't help matters, considering it included DVD playback. And knowing what would come of that... Ouch. Anyways, just because something is commercially unsuccessful does not neccessarily mean it's bad, and that is most definitely the case with the Dreamcast. In fact, it may just be one of the greatest game consoles ever to be released. In addition to several cutting-edge aspects of the console, including the VMU memory cards and broadband internet support, the console was of course home to a steady stream of incredible games, some of which are some of the most interesting and creative games ever made. Such examples include Jet Set Radio (aka Jet Grind Radio), the Shenmue series, Skies of Arcadia, Soulcalibur, Crazy Taxi, Phantasy Star Online, and so many more. In addition, it had what many consider to be the definitive version of Rayman 2. But the thing the console is most remembered for is the company's flagship mascot - Sonic the Hedgehog - making the jump from 2D to 3D. Sonic Adventure was quite the groundbreaking title when it was released back in 1999, and Sonic Adventure 2 was quite the same in 2001. While opinions on these games are more mixed nowadays considering what 3D Sonic would become (cough cough), back then, these titles were beloved from what I can gather. I personally consider the Sonic Adventure games to be among my favorite 3D platformers, especially the second one. But, even though Sega discontinued the system in 2001, it still refused to die. Since the console can run games on standard CD-ROM discs if produced before October 2000 (you can tell by a specific number on the bottom of the console), a large homebrew scene has emerged and continues to provide new games for the system even to this day. This scene is also one of the most organized ones out of any console. While I may be new to the Sega Dreamcast (having only picked it up mere weeks ago), so far, this is one of the best game consoles I've ever had the pleasure of owning. I can gladly say that this console has earned every ounce of appreciation it has enjoyed over the past 20 years. It's a shame that this console lasted only two short years, because it really is something special. Thanks for reading, if anyone even reads these things. Next time will probably be a game review... unless October 18th comes before then, because that's yet another anniversary of a certain other Sonic game I love. Whatever comes first, I'll see you there. Category:Blog posts